Witch or Shadowhunter?
by SmolAngryRussian
Summary: Naila Nightcross is a Shadowhunter. But she's also a witch. At 11, she gets a letter from Hogwarts, but she hasn't received her first Mark and can't go. Cross posted on wattpad, thewholocklife Old and cringey, but gets a bit better later on.
1. Signs of Magic

"Naila! Time to go to the institute!" I hear momma calling me from downstairs, and sit up with a sigh. "Coming!" I yell, climbing from bed and putting on fresh clothes. I glance at the clock on my way out. Its 7:30, the time we leave every morning. I hop down the stairs, giggling. "Momma look, I'm a demon," I yell, growling. I'd lost my front teeth last week, and it was fun pretending I had demon fangs. Daddy looks at me sharply, "Naila, demons are not something you want to be." I stop giggling and glare angrily at daddy. "Momma, daddy's being mean again," I whine, pouting. Before she could reply, the stairs turn into a slide, and I start giggling again. "Wee, fun!!" I scream, smiling. I slide right into daddy, and he picks me up, scowling, "I think some warlocks are messing up our house, Sam." I look at daddy, "but I thought they didn't like us?" Momma takes me from daddy and sets me down, "go get breakfast sweety, we're leaving in 5 minutes." I nod and walk into the kitchen, getting a bowl of cereal. I can't wait until I'm twelve, then I'll get my voyance rune. Every Shadowhunter has one. I look at the back of my left hand, imagining my first mark there, and eat quickly.

When I'm done, we walk the block to the institute. Outside the institute, I see one of the fey. I walk over, smiling, "hi, what are you doing here?" Momma walks over behind me and takes my hand, "come on Naila, today you start training. Grace is here already, lets go find her." I nod and follow, glancing back at the faerie. Once inside, Grace runs up to me. "Happy birthday Naila, are you happy to finally be 9?" She asks, and I nod. "Lets go to the training room, I can't wait to get started," I say, jumping up and down. Grace grabs my hands and drags me away, both of us giggling.

The tutor for The London institute, Sara Doverose, smiles at me and Grace when we enter the training room. "Is Rose here yet?" I ask Grace, smiling back at the tutor. "Not yet, but she should be here soon. This is Sara, she's an amazing tutor," Grace replies, introducing me to the tutor. "You're Naila Nightcross, are you not?" Sara ask kindly, and I nod. Just then, Rose comes running in, breathing heavily. "I'm here, I'm here, lets get started," she says, walking over to the wall covered in wood-tipped weapons. Grace takes my hand and leads me over. "We'll be practicing with short swords today," Sara says. Rose reaches as high as she can and grabs a small sword, swinging it lightly. Grace and I get swords from lower down, as we were both short. The sword I grab reaches from my shoulder to halfway down my forearm. It feel just right, despite the extra weight from the wood. Grace's sword is about the size of mine, with a slightly broader blade. After we have our short swords, Sara puts Grace and Rose together to practice and takes me to the side. "Do you know how to use a short sword, Naila?" she asks me, and I nod. "My dad showed me last week, he said I'm a natural." Sara looks impressed, "ok, show me what you've got." I hold the sword lightly in my left hand, legs in a battle stance. Sara watches me, holding her own wood-tipped short sword. My arm sways and I spin, striking with the side of my blade. Caught off guard, Sara jumps back and gets hit in her side. She smiles at me, "that was good, do it again." I put my right hand over my left, holding the hilt with both of them now. I back up slowly, bringing my weapon to my side. Before Sara can do anything, I rush forward, blade swinging in from the side. She jumps up, does a flip, and lands lightly on my short sword. Startled, I pull back, knocking her over. Then I notice the sword on fire, and drop it, frightened. When the fire doesn't spread, Sara picks it up and lays it across the windowsill. She gets one similar to it and hands it to me, "use this one, I'll have someone look at the other one later. Now, go again!" As we train, I hear Grace and Rose behind me.

An hour later, me, Grace, and Rose, walk out of the training room, laughing. "Did you see what happened with my sword?" I ask them suddenly. They both look at me. "Yeah, it was weird. I wonder how it caught on fire," Grace says, and Rose nods, agreeing. "Lets not worry about it, its probably nothing," Rose says, smiling. "Ok," me and Grace reply at the same time. That makes all three of us burst out laughing. "Lets go to the library, see if our parents are there," I suggest. They agree, and we leave the training room, already forgetting about the fire.


	2. The Mysterious Letter

Two years later

It's a Sunday, the only day I get to sleep in. My parents go to church to seem normal to our mundane neighbors, but they don't make me go. Grace is coming over later to celebrate her birthday. With a sigh, I climb out of bed and get dressed, yawning. I step outside for some fresh air, and an owl lands on top of my house. That's weird, owls don't normally come out during the day. I sit down on my porch, ignoring the owl, and wait for Grace. The owl ruffles its feathers and takes off, dropping a letter right next to me. I pick it up, confused. It reads:

Miss. N. Nightcross

The upstairs bedroom

67 Brewery RD

Plumstead

London

I reread the address several times until Grace walks up to me. "What's that?" she asks, pointing to the letter. I shrug, "no idea, lets go inside." Inside, I place the letter on the table and lead Grace to the living room. I sit down and she switches on the TV. "Are we really just going to watch TV until my parents get back?" I question. "Yup, you know my parents won't get one," Grace replies, plopping down next to me. I giggle, "couch potato!" She lunges at me, and I knock her to the floor, "that can't be your best!" Grace grabs my legs and pulls me down beside her, leaning over me. Her hair in her face, she glares at me, "no fighting on a Sunday." I groan, wiggling, "but Grace, you know I love fighting you, its so much fun!" She rolls off me, starting to giggle, "well, you no longer look like a demon when you smile." I sigh. After I had grown in my top front teeth, I lost my bottom ones, keeping the demon look. But now my bottom teeth had grown in, and there were no more to loose. "Do you ONLY fight demons?" I ask, sitting up. Grace smiles, "yup, that's what we're supposed to do, dumdum." I ignore her comment and stand up, grab my letter from the table, and sit on the couch to open it. Seeing what I was doing, Grace sits next to me and peers over my shoulder at the letter. I shove her slightly and read it aloud.

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss. Nightcross,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

ʍíղҽɾѵɑ ʍϲցօղɑցɑӀӀ

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress"

I look at Grace, blinking in confusion. "Do you think its a joke from some warlock that has a grudge on you?" she asks, but I shake my head. "Its not fake, I can tell, but what is Hogwarts and why did they send me this?" I reply. We both shrug and decide to wait for my parents to return. We watch different shows on the TV, some more annoying than others.

When my parents open the door, Grace and I quickly turn off the TV and open my Shadowhunter crossword book to a half finished puzzle. My parents walk in and smile at us. I look up, "hey momma, what's Hogwarts?" Both my parents look confused, so I hand them my letter. They read it silently, brows furrowed in confusion. Turns out we were wrong to think my parents would know. When they're done, they sit down on the couch, thinking over the letter. Then momma looks at dad and whispers, "we must see the silent brothers." By the Angel, no.


	3. Silent Brothers Never Lie

Yesterday we got permission to visit the silent city about my letter. Now we're walking down the sidewalk, heading for the Bone Bar. Its the only entrance into the city from London. There's another building that most people are ignoring right next to it called The Leaky Caldron. Even my parents are ignoring it. And the family of three that walk out. I'm tired of the weird looks and turn to my mom. "Momma, why can't I be glamoured? It annoying having people look at me funny. At least you could've not given yourselves glamours!" I complain. The brown haired girl, that looks my age, pulls her nose out of the book she's carrying at my words. "Who's glamoured?" she questions me curiously. "Uh, um, n..no one," I mutter, tugging my dad's arm. Her eyes widened in surprise and she stares plainly at my parents. The lady looks kindly at me and gently asks, "Are you lost?" Now I turn to my parents in fear, and whisper, "Momma what should I tell her?" Momma just shrugs, being of no help, and I turn back to them, blinking. The girl turns to the woman and says, "Mum, she's not lost! Her parents are right there!" She points at Momma then Dad. I glare at her and turn slightly, shifting my jacket, and show her one of the many daggers in my belt. The lady puts her hand on the girl's shoulder and says, "Hermione, dear, what are you pointing at? There is no one there." The girl's eyes widened in fear at my dagger, she then turns to, I assume, her mother and hurriedly replies, "Nothing, Mum! Let's go, she seems fine." She then runs off with her parents following her.

I sigh in relief when we enter the Bone Bar and my parents remove their glamours. "Don't do that to me again!" I yell at them angrily. "It was good practice, and you handled it perfectly fine anyway," Momma replies, and I huff in annoyance. Then a voice speaks in my head, Are you the Nightcross family? We aren't expecting any others, but some think they can call on us any time of day. I spin around to see one of the Silent Brothers standing in a doorway. "That we are. I've got the letter here," Dad says, pulling it out. No! Bring it with us, don't pull it out up here. We can't have every shadowhunter finding out about this the Brother says, turning back to the doorway. "What's your name?" I ask, pulling out my witchlight. I am Brother Enoch he replies. Momma and I follow Dad and Brother Enoch down the stairs. I squeeze my witchlight and it lights up. Its cold and damp, and I hold Momma's hand tightly.

We finally step out into a large room with a table in the center. Around the table are seated many Silent Brothers. A shiver passes over my body and I back up into my mom. Is this the girl? Do they have the letter? Many voices fill my mind, making me want to cover my ears, but I know it won't do any good. "I..I'm Naila Nightcross, I received a strange letter that suggested I was a mundane witch. My parents wanted your help to know if I am a witch, and what the letter means," I say, lowering my hand. Bring us the letter, young Naila the voices say. Dad hands me the letter and I walk up to the table nervously. I set the letter down and go to take step back when I hit a solid body. If you don't mind, we wish to enter your mind. "I..if you must," I say, bracing myself.

Thoughts and memories fill my mind. The time when I was 6 and a demon attacked me. Later that year when I stumbled into a green warlock. The next year when me and my parents went to Idris. The fey I saw outside the institute on my 9th birthday. The same day when my short sword caught on fire. Last year when I first held a steele. And then just today, when I saw the Leaky Caldron next to the Bone Bar. The Brothers exit my mind and leave me gasping and sweating. She is no doubt a child of the nephlim, though we sensed something we don't recognize. It seems similar to warlock magic, but that is not what it is. We shall examine the letter and inform you of what we find. Brother Enoch will show you back to the Bone Bar and will retrieve you when we're ready. My parents and I follow Brother Enoch and I pull out my witchlight again.

While we wait for Brother Enoch to return, I play with my witchlight. My parents are obviously annoyed, but they don't say anything. I don't notice the Silent Brother until he spoke. We are unable to identify the magical force, and think it be best to have Naila go once she has her voyance rune. Of course, the Clave must also agree. And then he's gone. He left my letter on the counter and I grab it. "Momma, can I please go? It'd be so fun!" I beg immediately. With a glance at Dad, she replies, "we'll think about it, right now its time to go to the institute so you can train." We leave the Bone Bar and I pocket the letter, fingering the hilt of one of my daggers.


	4. A Strange Old Man

Its September 9th, just over a week after I would've started Hogwarts. I'm laying upside down in my favorite chair, reading the Shadowhunter Codex, again. My parents are sitting on the couch watching some movie on the TV. I'm at the part where they talk about our names when there's a knock at the door. "I got it Momma," I say, closing my book and stretching. I walk slowly into the foyer and rub my side where Grace had kicked me during training today. Looking out the window, I see an old man with long, white hair and wearing a black dressy robe. I open the door with narrowed eyes, "may I help you, sir?" The old man smiles at me, "are you Ms Nightcross?" With a glance towards the living room, I nod, "yeah, I'm Naila. Might I ask who you are?" He nods his head but says, "are your parents home? I would like to speak with them." I shrug and turn slightly, "Momma, Dad, someone wants to talk with you!" Both my parents come into the foyer and give the man the same expression I gave him. "Come in, come in, would you like some tea?" my mom asks, ushering the old guy inside. When he accepts, Dad sends me to make us all some. I huff angrily and stomp into the kitchen and start the tea.

A few minutes later, I carry a tray with 4 cups of tea into the living room. My parents are back on the couch, talking with the old man. I glare at him when I see he's in my chair. Momma looks up at me and smiles,"Naila, this is Albus Dumbledore, he wanted to talk about you going to Hogwarts." I blink, completely shocked, "he came all this way to get me to go to Hogwarts?" The man, Dumbledore, nodded his head, "it is rare that I visit a young witch or wizard's house, but you never replied to the letter. We had suspected it got lost, so I decided to pay a visit. I hope I didn't intrude." My parents shake their heads and I sit on the other chair. "So, I really am a witch?" I ask Dumbledore. He nods, smiling. "But, witches are mundanes who think they understand magic, how could I be one?" I mutter, shaking my head slowly. Dad walks over to my chair, "Mr. Dumbledore here was offering to give you an escort to the school, and buy your supplies." Momma stands on my other side and places her hand on my shoulder, "we'd have to talk with the Clave, of course. And the Silent Brothers have already suggested that you go-" Dad interrupts her, "but we're not sending her without her voyance rune, Sam." I look at Dumbledore, an obvious mundane, and then my parents. "The Clave could give it to her early," Momma argues. "I could go next year, after I get my rune, if it's ok with Mr. Dumbledore," I suggest, and both my parents look at the crazy old man, awaiting his reply. "Of course, I shall watch this year's new student for a suitable tutor. I shall be heading out now, I've got many things to do today." And with that, he was gone.

After Dumbledore left, I headed out to spend some time with Grace and tell her everything that'd happened. "Be back by 6 Naila, we're having Rose and her family over for dinner," Momma calls to me as I open the door. "And stay safe," Dad adds. Smiling to myself, I step outside and close the door. I walk with my hand holding the hilt of a dagger, eyes scanning the area for anything that might harm me or mundanes. I stop at a tree on the corner and pull out the dagger. Lets leave a little mark, shall we? I think, carving words into the bark. Finished, I step back and examine my work. The words 'am I a witch or shadowhunter?' are carved neatly into the tree forever. Slipping the dagger back into my belt, I continue on my way to Grace's.

Before I can even walk up to the light grey house, Grace comes running out, smiling. "Hey Naila, wha'cha doing here?" I hug her and lead her over to my favorite spot at her house. I climb the beautiful willow tree easily and Grace follows suit. Once we're comfortable, I tell her everything that happened from the moment the doorbell rang to when Dumbledore vanished. She listens intently, eyes wide. After I finish, she mutters, "by the Angel." I giggle, "so won't fight anything but demons, and yet you swear at things as simple as this?" She tries her best to glare at me, but my giggling has its effects, and she bursts out laughing with me. "So if you go through with this, I won't see you for months at a time, will I?" she questions me sadly. All I can do is nod. Then I blink, "so lets have all the fun we can before I leave next year!" I lunge at Grace, and we both fall from the tree ungracefully, but giggling all the same.


	5. Halloween's for Hunting

"THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST HALLOWEEN EVER!!!" me and Grace yell, jumping up and down in the institute training room. Rose giggles and throws her notebook at us, "quiet down before the adults change their minds. I really want to hunt some rouge Downworlders." I dodge the book, but Grace isn't so lucky, getting hit in the belly. Me and Rose burst out laughing and Grace glares at us. Well, tries to. When Rose lunges at me, Grace bends over laughing. But I'm not laughing anymore. Instead, I'm tangled up with Rose, trying to get one of the wood-tipped daggers. When she sees what I'm reaching for, she spins us both away, leaving me to use only my hands. I grip her neck, bringing us close, and flip her over. Letting out a grunt, Rose jumps at me again, fighting back the smile forming on her lips. I dodge out of her way and slip, landing on my back. She above me in an instant, pinning me down. As I go to make a move to get her off, Sara walks into the training room. She looks at me and Rose fighting on the ground, then at Grace fighting back giggles. "As much as I'd like to watch you two practice, its time to get ready. It'll be just you three and me, so I expect no fooling around," Sara informs us with a smile.

Once all of us have our gear on, we head for the weapons room. Sara hands each of us 3 seraph blades and a few daggers while we pick our best weapon. I head straight for the short swords, Rose to the whips, and Grace to the chakrams. I pick a very thin, golden colored sword that reaches from my hip to my knee. Glancing at Rose, I watch her choose a long, light red whip. Grace examines the chakrams and grabs a few of them, smiling. When we walk over to Sara, I notice that she chose a long sword and has it across her back. "Ok, put your weapons in you belt and I want you to each put silencing runes on your boots," she says, doing the same. I attach all my weapons to my belt and grab my steele, kneeling down. Picturing the rune carefully in my mind, a draw one neatly onto each boot. With all four of us now ready to hunt, we walk to the institute doors and out into the night.

A group of little girls walk up to us, giggling. The leader asks, "what are you guys being?" I see little fangs when she talks, and her skin is pale with red, most likely blood, dripping down her chin. Sara steps forward and looks at the group. I see no signs that the others are real vampires, and its obvious they don't know their leader's one. "Have you been feeding off your friends, Downworlder?" Sara gives as an answer. The vampire looks offended, "I'd never feed off my friends, but their mean old brothers, that's another story." One of the vampire's 'friends' steps up to her, "what do you mean? We don't have brothers, and how could you feed off them if we did?" Another one nods in agreement, and we see two little pinpricks at the base of her neck. As one, Rose, Grace, Sara, and I pull out our weapons. When Sara looks at us, and my friends don't say anything, I step forward. "You know you're not supposed to feed off mundanes, downworlder!" I snarl, swapping my short sword for a dagger. The others look at each other, clearly confused, and one mumbles, "hey Sally, we'll meet up later, ok?" The vampire, Sally I guess, tries to protest, but they already left. "Not looking too good for you, is it?" Grace questions, holding one of her chakrams. Rose steps up next to me, "no need to pretend anymore, vampire, you know why we're here." Her whip flashes out, curling around the vampire girl's ankle. I spin my dagger around and walk up behind Sally, grabbing both her arms tightly. Sara looks at Grace, who tosses her chakram at the girl and strikes her chest. "Nice aim Grace," I compliment my friend, then stab Sally through the heart with my dagger before she could start fighting back. After Sara has Rose dispose of the girl's body, I don't want to know how, we moved on through the streets.

After walking for a while, we stop at a restaurant for drinks. As soon as we step through the door, I know its run by Downworlders. We get quick drinks and go back outside, but stop when we see the scene in front of us. Some werewolves, 4 I think, had cornered some mundanes. I couldn't see the mundanes, but I knew none of them were unharmed. Halloween is the night all rouge downworlders strike, no surprise. Upon seeing us, the werewolves scatter. Sara steps up to the mundanes and checks to make sure they're still alive. Satisfied, she turns to us. "Rose, go after the fastest one, he went that way," she says, pointing south. Rose takes off and Sara turns to Grace, "Grace, you get the brown one." Smiling, Grace swiftly follows the werewolf. Sara looks me directly in the eyes. "I'm getting the leader, I'm trusting you to deal with the co-leader," she tells me with a serious face. "Yes ma'am," I answer, pocketing my dagger for running. As we part ways, I just hope I'll see the others again.

I follow the werewolf swift and smooth. I'm like a shadow in the night, a deadly shadow. Its not long before I see the werewolf's tail. I'm not sure how, but I know its male. Maybe its the shape of the body, or the way it moves. He stops and turns around, unsure if he was being followed. Behind the werewolf is a wall, and a store on each side of him. And me, of course, blocking his only way out. "Why'd you hurt the mundanes?" I ask, stepping from the shadows. Instead of answering me, he jumps straight at me. On instinct, I pull out a seraph blade and shout, "Ansel!" The light of my seraph blade distracts the werewolf, and I knock him to the ground. I pin him there with my blade to his throat, "I'm going to ask you one last time: why'd you attack the mundanes?" I feel the ugly downworlder shift beneath me, though he keeps his claws out. "Oh, a little nephlim! I'm so scared! She's going to kill me!" he cries in fake anguish. I push the blade into his neck slightly, "oh, I'll kill you, but if you tell me why, I'll make it quick." I'm whispering, but he hears me just fine. "Halloween is OUR night, and nephlim will never take it from us!" he growls angrily. Grimacing at his horrid breath, I grab a dagger in my weaker right hand and stab it between his ribs. I miss his heart on purpose and snarl in his face, "that's no answer, filthy downworlder!" I jerk my grip and the dagger slices his heart. A quick death he didn't deserve.


	6. A Shadowhunter Christmas Part 1

"Momma! Dad's making me wear a dress!" I yell, kicking at my dear father. I hear Momma coming up the stairs and Dad backs up, hands up in surrender. Too bad for him, he was still holding dress. "Jay, you can't make her wear a dress, we both know she prefers skirts," Momma scolds, walking into my room. I giggle as Dad opens and closes his mouth, looking like a fish. "But Sam," Dad starts, but I hold up my finger. "Fine, I'll wear the dress. Just go argue downstairs," I say, shooing them out. Dad tosses me the dress and I shut the door. I smile at the dress. It was quite pretty, a dark blue that reached to a few inches above my ankles, with middle length grey sleeves. But I can't fight in a dress, and who knows what might want to attack me. With a sigh, I put the dress on and grab my black shadowhunter jacket. I always keep the jacket stocked with daggers and seraph blades, all I'd need to defend myself. I grab my steele on the way out and put it in my jacket pocket.

Both my parents gasp when I walk into the living room. I smile sweetly, "lets go, I wanna get out of this boring house." Momma stands up, pulling Dad with her. I walk as calmly as I can to the front door, which isn't that calm. Its the first year I get to go to the party at the institute, and I'm going to make the best of it. I'm out the door before Momma can call me back, and bound down to the sidewalk. "I'm gonna go get Grace!" I yell back to my parents, and start skipping down the road. I stop when I reach the tree I carved on over 3 months ago. Before I can dwell too long on the question I'd carved into the bark, a tall, light skinned boy jumps down from the branches. I stumble back as my training screams 'warlock' and my mind screams 'hotie'. His eyes are bright red, the color of an apple, his hair an ice blue. After my first shock, I snatch one of my daggers and demand, "who are you and what do you want?" The warlock blinks, obviously surprised by my outburst. Of course, I think, mentally smacking myself, you don't have any Marks yet, he doesn't know you're a shadowhunter. I narrow my eyes, waiting for his reply.

"I am Pater Timor, and I was just wondering why a pretty little girl such as yourself was staring at a random tree on Christmas," he finally answers. "Father fear," I mutter to myself, ignoring Pater's compliment. "Who is your father, warlock?" I demand, and he backs up, eyes scanning me, most likely for Marks. "Answer me, before I get help!" I snarl, pinning him to the tree. "I don't know what-" he breaks off when I spin on my heel and walk away. "You know exactly what you are, and I can see in your eyes that you know your father. But it doesn't matter, I must go before I'm late. And I suggest you avoid me in the future," I call back to the warlock. I practically run the rest of the way to Grace's, being careful of my dress. I shove the dagger back into my jacket before knocking on the door.

It takes a matter of seconds for Grace to yank the door open and pull me into a bone crushing hug. She's also wearing a dress, though her's is light pink and much shorter than mine. Although, just like me, she's wearing her shadowhunter jacket and boots. "You're early," she says once she lets me go. "I couldn't wait, and my parents were taking forever," I reply with a shrug. "Lets see if your parents will let us help the others set up for the party," I suggest, flipping my dark hair over my shoulder. Grace eyes my hair jealously and runs her fingers through her light ginger hair. I giggle and drag her into her own house, muttering, "its cold out there." She can barely get the door closed before I pull her further into the house. "Let me go Naila, you don't even know where they are," she orders me, laughing. I stop and release her arm, glancing around, "I don't even know where we are!" We both bend over laughing as soon as the words leave my mouth. And that's exactly how Grace's mom, Mrs Appleshade, finds us a few minutes later. Once we've finally stopped, she informs us its time to go to the institute. With a glance at each other, me and Grace race to the door. Although somehow, Grace's mom beats us both.

The walk to the institute is a quick one, and its only 5:45 when we get there. "Well, I guess we have to wait out here for a few minutes," Grace's dad says, sitting on a nearby bench. For the 15 minutes before the party starts, Grace and I talk about random things. We quickly get bored with that, and my mind drifts back to tree and the warlock. I had suspicions on who his father was, but I wasn't going to jump to conclusions. If he thought I didn't know Latin, he proved that wrong when he told me his name. Grace tugs on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts. "Time to go inside, Naila," she says happily. I follow her up the steps, barely containing my excitement. But just as I enter the institute, I see Pater's red eyes in the bushes. I think he followed me.


	7. A Shadowhunter Christmas Part 2

As soon as we step inside, Ben Wolfhunter, the head of the institute, bows and kisses my hand. I curtsey and giggle when I see Nick, Ben's son, doing the same to Grace. Grace smirks at me and I stick my tongue out. She may have gotten the one closer to our age, but I got the head of the institute. As the Wolfhunter men lead us through the halls, the image of Pater's eyes follow me. I shiver and Nick turns his head to glance at me. "Naila, right? I've heard of you," he says, smiling. Before I can reply, he bumps into a door, and I giggle. Nick spins around, hand going for his belt, making Grace join me in giggling. Ben stops and turns slightly, "Nick, watch where you're going, not the young ladies." Nick blinks at his father, momentarily confused, then turns to the door. "Oh, sorry ladies," he says, and I see his ears going red from embarrassment. This makes Grace laugh harder and I shoot her a glare. "Apology accepted," I answer, and we continue on our way. Nick keeps shooting me quick looks over his shoulder, which Grace notices, because she sends me an evil look. I smirk and ignore her. Nick was only 2 or 3 years older than us, and it was obvious Grace wanted him. As did Rose. I didn't, but it seemed as if he wanted me.

It doesn't take much longer to reach some rather large doors, which are wide open. Much to Grace's objection, Nick takes my hand and leads me over to a table. He smiles while I take a seat, "may I get you a drink?" I nod, stifling some giggles. He's gone before I can say a word. I sigh and glance at a clock. Its 6:15, I can already tell this is going to be a long night. Grace huffs over and sits next to me. "Something wrong, Gracie?" I ask, and she snorts. "Its Grace, not Gracie, which you know, and yes something's wrong. How come Nick likes you? You haven't even said a word since we got here," she complains, and I laugh. "Its not like I'm trying, lets just forget about Nick and have some fun!" I say, putting my hand on hers. Grace opens her mouth to reply, but shakes her head and mutters, "you can try and forget about Nick, but he's not going to forget about you." I turn around and see Nick, who winks at me. I groan and lean back, "that makes two guys hitting on me in one night. And I'm only 11!" Grace turns to me, but not be firing shooing Nick away. "Two? Who else was hitting on you?" I smile at her enthusiasm. "Well, on my way to your house, I kinda had a run in with a warlock. Who knows how old he is, and he asked why a pretty little girl like myself was alone on Christmas. And you'll never guess what his name is," I giggle at the memory. "Oh come on, don't make me guess," Grace whines, and I give in. "His name is Pater Timor," I tell her, "makes you wonder who his father is, doesn't it?" Grace nods, deep in thought.

Rose comes over after a bit, and Grace immediately fills her in on what she missed. Including the part about Pater. "Oh Naila, looks like you have a choice to make," Rose giggles, making me sit up straight. "But I'm only 11, its not like I'm going to date someone anytime soon," I argue, and both my friends look at me like I have 6 heads. "You have to pick one, or both of them will move on, and then you'll regret giving up TWO cute boys," Grace tells me, siding with Rose. I go to respond, but Nick walks over, "may I have this dance?" I look at my friends, not sure what to do. They both nod me on with jealous looks. I roll my eyes and turn back to Nick, smiling, "sure, but I must warn you, I've never danced before." He laughs and replies, "don't worry, neither have I." I take Nick's hand and he pulls me up and over to the dance floor. I must say, this will most likely be disastrous. It doesn't take long for my parents to see us dancing awkwardly, and they smile encouragingly. I mentally roll my eyes, so not in the mood.

Near the end of the song, I, somehow, stumble on my 1 inch heels. Nick catches me, lowering me into a dip. He bends down and whispers in my ear, "how do you trip in heels that tiny?" I punch him lightly on the shoulder as he pulls me back up. "Maybe you should try them on tell me how?" I suggest, smiling. He smiles as well, "I would, but I don't think they'd fit." We both laugh as we make our way back over to my friends. I sit down and see that someone must have asked Rose to dance. Nick sits next to me, somehow now with two cups of punch. "For you, malady," he says, holding one out for me. I take it with a smile, "why thank you." Grace shoots me a look full of envy, but forces a smile. "How was your dance, Nail?" she asks, using her nickname for me from when we were 5. I shove her arm, "call me Nail again and you'll regret it, and the dance was strange." She rolls her eyes and takes the cup from my handing, taking a sip. We'd been stealing each others cups since we could crawl. Now its my turn to roll my eyes. "Why don't you dance with Grace, now?" I ask Nick, just to get rid of her. "Sure," Nick smiles, adding quietly for my ears alone, "for you."

The time passes quickly with me and Grace taking turns dancing with Nick. We still hasn't seen Rose, so we assumed she'd left. At 9:25, my parents interrupt my dance with Nick. "Naila, its time we headed home," Momma says, and I smile apologetically at Nick. Grace walks over, "are we leaving now?" I nod at her, remembering that she was spending the night at my house. She huffs loudly, "that doesn't make it fair, you got one more dance with Nick than me." I turn to Nick, and he smiles at me. "Grace, how about I give you one more next time?" he offers, still looking at me. That makes Grace happy, and we head for the door. I'd forgotten about Pater by now, though I didn't know Rose had had other plans the moment Grace had mentioned him.


	8. Kendrix Nightcross

I sit up with a yawn and glance at the calendar. March 11th it reads, and I blink back tears. "Naila, honey, I made breakfast," Momma tells me quietly, standing in my doorway. "I'm not hungry," I reply sadly, stuffing my head in my pillow. "Jay, I'll be down in a minute," I hear Momma's voice call downstairs, and then a weight on my bed. "Sweety, you can't just forget about K, we both know that," she says softly, placing her hand on my shoulder. I shrug her off, "I can still try, now leave me alone!" I hear Momma sigh, "we're all hurting today, not just you." I sit up, my eyes red, "he was my big brother, all he ever did was protect me." Dad comes in quietly and sits on my other side, "darling, get dressed and we'll do something in memory of K." I sigh, pushing my hair behind my ear, "fine, whatever, I love you both." After hugging me, they both leave my room. I contemplate hiding in my pillow again, but then they'd just come back up.

After I put on clothes, I pull out the necklace K had given me for my 7th birthday. The same year he died at 19, early even for a shadowhunter death. The necklace was a light blue flower with the words 'Best Sister' engraved in red. "I will kill the werewolves who took you from me, Kendrix," I vow, as I did every year since that tragic day. A tear slides down my cheek and I wipe it away, slipping the necklace around my neck. After pulling my hair up into a quick ponytail, I walk downstairs. I'm guessing my parents are in the dining room, so I head for the kitchen. And, I was wrong.

When Dad sees me, he kisses my forehead and hands me a plate of eggs. "I already said I'm not hungry," I mumble, shoving the plate away. "Naila, you need to eat something," Momma protests. I glare at her, "I'll eat later, ok?" Dad looks at Momma and answers me first, "we decided to go to a carnival today, since K loved them so much." I shrug and mutter, "whatever." I walk into the living room to wait for my parents to finish their breakfast. On the wall are pictures of K and I, which I usually try to ignore. Now, all I can do is stare at a picture of 15-year-old K pushing 2-year-old me in a mundane baby swing. I see the voyance rune on his left hand, the same hand I would get mine on. Its kinda funny we ended up left handed when both our parents are right handed. I pull my legs up on the couch and hold them against my chest. I feel the tears stinging at the back of my eyes and look at the others pictures of my brother.

There's one picture of when I was 5, and wanted to do Halloween like a mundane. I was dressed up like a vampire hunter, which I am now. I'd convinced K to dress up, too. He was in a pretty pink dress, wearing a crown, smiling, and looking completely goofy. There's another picture from my first birthday. I'm spitting on K and giggling. K's head is tipped back in laughter. He was always so much older than me, but he never got tired of me. Another picture is of me coloring a faerie with K sneaking up behind me. My eyes flicker to the most recent one, the one I avoid the most. Its of K putting the necklace I'm wearing now around my neck for the first time. He'd told me to close my eyes, but you could see me peeking. A few days later he went after some rouge werewolves that'd broken the Accords, and they killed him.

My parents step into the living room just as the tears are about to spill over. Dad takes my hand and we walk outside and to our car. We could walk, but as its winter Momma insists on the car. I play with the necklace while Dad drives. Momma's constantly looking back at me in the mirror. Though its only been 4 years, it feels like K's been gone for decades. By the time we reach the carnival, I'm fighting back the tears again. I've obviously got weapons on me, but only intend to use them if I see the downworlders who murdered my only brother. When I get out of the car, Momma pulls me into a tight hug before the three of us walk over to where we can buy tickets.

"Two adults and one child, please," Dad tells the woman selling the tickets. "That'll be $28.89" she says in a bored voice. After Dad hands over the money and we get our tickets, we walk into the carnival. Its just like every other carnival I've been to: just rides and games. And some people selling cotton candy and other carnival foods. Momma insists on buying me some hot pink cotton candy, which I refuse to eat. As I said, I wasn't hungry. I see a gigantic roller coaster and my face lights up slightly. My parents see and Dad leads me over, handing Momma my untouched cotton candy. Dad and I sit in the very front car, nothing can scare us. Except Agramon, but he scares everyone, and everything. Luckily I've never had to face him.

The roller coaster is fast and has many flips. While everyone else screams, Dad included, I'm crying silently. The first time I'd ridden a roller coaster, K was the one sitting next to me. I'd been screaming in fear, but he showed me there was nothing to be afraid of. It was just motion, after all. The ride ends, and Momma gives me back the cotton candy, which I still don't eat. We're walking towards one of the gift shops when something catches my eyes. A demon. Unfortunately, it catches the eyes of my parents as well. Momma quickly applies a glamour rune to herself, motioning for Dad to keep hold of me. He wraps his strong arms around me while I kick and scream. I don't care about the attention I'm attracting, all I needed was something to let my anger out on. And if Dad was going to stop me from letting it out on a demon, I'd let it out on him.

Momma dispatches the demon quickly and comes back over, a sad expression on her face. Dad drags me out of the store and hands me to Momma. She holds me tight, running her hands through my hair, as I cry into her chest. "Ssh, its ok, let it all out Naila," she whispers, kissing my forehead. Once I've finally calmed down, we do a few more rides and games. I sulk the entire time. "Its not fair that I'm allowed to fight downworlders but not demons," I complain for the, 15th?, time. Momma looks at me sadly, "we know, but demons can give injuries that can only be healed with iratzes." I huff in annoyance and we keep wandering around.

We stop at another game and Dad pays for me to do it. We try to throw as many bean bags into different holes as we can. Child's play, I just need to feel the weight of a bean bag for a moment. After passing it between my hands a couple times, I nod to the the person running the game to start the time. I narrow my eyes and throw the first bean bag, getting into the 10-point hole. Just where I was aiming. I toss the next one into the 25-point hole. Then the 50-point hole. Momma rolls her eyes, realizing my strategy. The next bean bag goes right into one of the 100-point holes. Then one goes in the other. I have 10 seconds left. I snatch the next bean bag and aim carefully. I tossed and it went into the 500-point hole. The mundane running the game stares at me in surprise, and tells me which prizes I can pick from. "No thank you, I don't want a prize," I inform them. After that we finally head home. At least that last game took my mind off of K for a bit.


	9. Meeting the Clave

I pace restlessly in my room. Yesterday we got a fire message from the Clave, telling us to portal to Idris so we could discuss it. I'd been sent up here when the warlock creating the portal had arrived. This Hogwarts business is really starting to annoy me. I know I'd wanted to go, but this is a lot to deal with just to get permission. I stop pacing and sit down on my bed. I can hear their voices, but can't make out the words. There's a rune that'd let me see and hear them, but I can't remember what it is. I stand up and resume my pacing.

A few minutes later, there's a knock on my door. I walk over and open it, then freeze. Red eyes meet my blue, almost black, ones. Turns out my parents hired Pater to form a portal for us. He smiles, "I never got your name a few months ago, and you never let me finish what I was saying." I step back and cross my arms, "fine, Pater, say it now." He blinks, then replies with, "before you started going on about my father, I was going to tell you everyone calls me Pat, not Pater." I sneer, "everyone one but me. And why don't you want people calling you Pater, you chose that name?" I'm pushing past him and down the stairs before he can comprehend what I said.

I step outside and Momma grabs my shoulders, steering me towards Dad. Behind him, I see the inside of Accords Hall. "Time to go, where's the warlock?" Dad says when he sees me. "I'm right here, and you know I have a name, right?" I spin around at the sound of Pater behind me. I don't look at his eyes, instead I look back at my house. "All warlocks are the same, we can't keep track of all the names. Naila, lets go," Dad says. I turn around and step towards the portal. Momma takes my hand, and I gulp nervously. This was my first time using a portal in my memory. I'd been born in Idris, but we left before I was even a year old. Momma gives my hand a squeeze and we step into the portal.

In the future, if someone asks me to recall what its like going through a portal, I'd never be able to tell them. It doesn't take long before I'm standing in the Accords Hall. Shadowhunters are milling about. Its the first time I've seen so many shadowhunters openly showing their marks. I guess I'd be showing mine if I had them. Momma's not far away, but Dad hasn't come through yet. A warlock with green skin watches the open portal. I'm guessing this is Ragnor Fell, I've heard plenty about him. I look around at the room I'm in. The ceiling is glass, and I can see the sky. A hand touches my shoulder and I whirl around, left hand reaching for my belt. Then I see that the hand is green, and mine goes slack. Ragnor Fell looks at my face and then at my hand. I see Momma and Dad talking not far away. The portal's been closed, and the warlock leads me over to my parents.

Momma takes my hand and gives Ragnor a small smile. "We'll only be meeting with the Inquisitor, apparently," Dad informs me. I nod looking around again. Momma tells me to go wait outside while they talk with some of their old friends, and I do as she says. Outside, I see the demon towers. They're pretty, even though they're just there to protect our home. I look around and see kids about 7 or 8 playing. They seem to have picked two of them to be downworlders while the others tried to capture them. I watch them for a moment and the older of the 2 girls turns to me curiously. She was obviously one of the downworlders, as when she turned to look at me 2 of the boys jumped for her, making the other girl gasp. The first girl jumps nimbly out of the way and walks over to me. "Hi, I'm Haily. Want to play with us?" she offers, smiling widely at me. With a quick glance to assure my parents weren't coming, I nod, "sure, as long as your friends don't mind." The girl and two boys, joined by a third, that were playing with Haily walked over. Without even glancing at her friends, Haily takes my hand, "they won't mind. What's your name, by the way?" I hear one of the boys snort softly and giggle. "I'm Naila, I'm just here so my parents can talk with the Inquisitor." After introducing me to her friends, Haily tells me the rules to their game. I end up being a downworlder, but it turns out to be fun.

After I get killed 7 times(2 of the boys twice, the third boy and both girls once), Momma walks out of the Accords Hall. "Naila, the Inquisitor's ready to meet with us," she says, smiling softly. With encouraging looks from the others kids, I take Momma's hand and she leads me back inside. Dad's waiting for us, with an older shadowhunter I don't know. Dad kisses my head and we follow the unknown shadowhunter. He leads us through the building until I've completely lost track of where we are. We stop at a door and unknown dude opens it, ushering us inside.

I'm greeted by a large room with desk near the back. Behind the desk sits a woman I assume it the Inquisitor. She smiles and motions for us to sit. "The Nightcross family, a greatly respected one. I have understandings you wish to send young Naila to a school for so-called witches and wizards?" Dad looks at Momma before replying. "Yes, we already went to the Silent Brothers, and they suggested we give it a try. Of course, we also needed permission from the Clave." Momma takes over when he stops for a breathe, "the headmaster for the school has agreed to taking her to get the supplies needed, and even paying for them." The Inquisitor narrows her eyes at the last bit, "shadowhunters do not need charity from mundanes. However, I can not simply argue with what the Silent Brothers think best. She is your daughter, and if you wish to risk her safety to figure this out, I assure you I'll do all I can to help." I beam at her words, glad if be allowed to try something new. My parents thank her and we call Ragnor Fell to recreate the portal for us.

Once we get home, I lay down on my bed for a bit. I'm trying to process things when Momma knocks on my door. "Nail, we're having Grace and her Mom over for dinner." I groan, but there's a smile on my face, "why do you people insist on calling me Nail?" Grace barges into my room at that and jumps on me, "because it fits you, Nail. Now come on, I'm hungry." I giggle and shove her off, "you're always hungry!" And that leads to a food fight in the middle of dinner for her to prove me wrong. Unfortunately, we then had to clean it up. It was fun while it lasted, though.


	10. The Heartless Wizard

I jump around the living room, K watching me while shaking his head. "Do you want the Silent Brothers to see you like this?" he questions, stepping out of my way. I giggle, "catch me K!" Before he can get out of my way, I barrel into him and we both fall over. K chuckles lightly at me, "come on, sis, lets get you ready." He scoops me up and cuddles me to his chest, heading for the stairs. "Ahh, let me go!" I whine, fighting him. K just holds me tighter and kicks open my half closed door. I give up the struggle and he sets me on my bed, walking towards my closet. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I complain, crossing my arms grumpily. K turns around holding my beloved black leather jacket, "nothing, I just thought you should look more like a shadowhunter and less like a mundane." I jump at him, grabbing my jacket from his hands. I through it on just as Momma calls for us. I freeze, all my excitement replaced with nervousness. Noticing my sudden change, K lifts me up onto his shoulders, at least partly to show off. I kick him playfully on his chest, but can't get down. He walks towards the door and I yelp, ducking my head, "K! Are you trying to knock me out?" It doesn't take long to reach the living room, with two Silent Brothers waiting. K sets me down on the couch and walks over to my parents. One of the Silent Brothers pulls out a steele and the other has me hold out my hand. The steele touches my hand and—

POP!!

I sit up with a jolt, my eyes wide. Dad's in my doorway in an instant, striding over to my bed. He takes my hand and leads me slowly downstairs, but not before I snag my precious short sword. Momma cracks open the front door, a seraph blade in hand. Both my parents were already dressed, meaning it was about 8. Around Momma's body, I see someone with a black robe, just like that Dumbledore guy. He must be another wizard, but I don't understand why he's here. "Am I expected to just stand out here?" the wizard says in a monotone voice. Momma, clearly shocked, moves aside and motions him inside. The wizard has greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and black eyes. Not dark navy blue like mine, or any color for that matter, pure and completely black. Without a second glace at either of my parents, he looks me over. "I'm Professor Severus Snape, potions master at Hogwarts. I assume you're the young witch...?" he says, not looking away. Totally creeped out, I nod my head slowly. Dad closes the door and shows Severus to the living room. I follow, eyeing the guy's greasy hair.

In the living room, I plop down in my favorite chair while Severus's eyes dart from one picture of K to the next. I narrow my eyes, sitting up straight. "There's another child?" he inquiries of my parents, who have taken seats on the couch. I clench my hands into fists as Momma gives a tense, "yes." The man who will most likely be one of my new teachers glances behind him, out of the room. I go to say something, but Dad beats me, "if you're here for conformation about Naila going to that school of yours, we haven't changed our minds." Severus gives a slight nod and looks at the photos again. "There aren't any recent pictures of the boy, why is that?" Standing up, I fight the urge to punch him and reply as calmly as I can, "I see you aren't as smart as you look, are you? Its because he's dead." I see a spark of curiosity in his eyes, and glance at my parents, who aren't saying or doing anything. "And how did he die? This doesn't seem the type of place where people die young," Mr. Greasy hair questions. I scowl, now fighting the urge to pull my short sword off my back and teach him a thing or two. Both my parents have disappeared, leaving me to deal with Severus myself. My scowl deepens and I snarl, "how is that any of your business? We don't know you, and K isn't even your family!" He gives a wry, twisted smile and answers calmly, "I'm just curious about the family of a student who waits a year before coming to school." I snap, loosing it, "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO BARGE IN AND INSIST ON KNOWING EVERYTHING ABOUT MY BROTHER!!" Greasy hair takes a step back at my outburst, and I'm pleased to see his robe is now a bright shade of pink. He glances at his watch and mumbles, "its time for me to get back." Louder he tells me, "I'll see you in September, and I expect you to be able to control your temper." With a loud POP, he's gone.

I wait a few minutes, breathing heavily. Then I storm out the front door, shaking in anger and grief. Unfortunately, the last person I want to talk to is leaning against the magnolia tree in my yard. Its Pater Timor, the unnaturally good looking warlock with glowing red eyes. "Well hello darling, its a nice day today isn't it?" he says, smiling. I groan mentally, remembering how I'd had to go through this every time I stepped outside. I believe he's stalking me, but I have no idea why. "I thought I told you to leave me alone?" I reply, and add, "and stop calling me darling." Pater smirks, "of course, lovely." I narrow my eyes at him, thinking of what would hurt the most to cut off. "That's soooo much better," I sigh. "Nice use of sarcasm, young one. And why are you looking at me like that?" Now it's my turn to smirk, "I think that's your best name for me yet. And if you must know, I'm trying to decide how I should make you suffer for stalking a shadowhunter." With that, I stalk away, leaving him stumbling for words. What a lovely day to throw some knives I think, heading for the institute, already cheering up.


End file.
